IT education is an important sphere and a lot of young people aspire to master it. After all, information technology is our future. In this article, we will tell you about the public research university in Leeds, which trains excellent specialists in computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, astronomy, etc. This university provides a good education and is the 11th largest university in the United Kingdom by total number of students. Learn more about the history of the university and the features of studying IT at leeds-future.com.
History of the university foundation
The history of the University of Leeds is connected with the development of the city as an international centre of the textile and clothing industry. In that period, medicinal schools were actively created in England to serve the public.
The Leeds School of Medicine was founded in 1831. Its aim was to train doctors for the city’s five medical institutions. Already in 1874, the Yorkshire College of Science was created to educate the children of middle-class industrialists and merchants. It should be noted that the educational institution was financially supported by local industrialists. In the new educational institution, students mastered experimental physics, mathematics, geology, chemistry, biology, etc. Later, the institution became an international centre for the study of engineering and textile technologies because the production and textile industry was actively developing in the country. A few years later, the Yorkshire College of Science became simply the Yorkshire College, as it started to offer a study of literature and history.
In 1884, the Leeds School of Medicine joined the college, and three years later, Yorkshire College merged with the federal Victoria University.
Further fate of the institution
The first university in Leeds was founded in 1887. However, obviously, the study of information technologies started in 100 years.
In 1896, the Day Training College of the university created special conditions for women and they began to enter the university. However, the Leeds campus of Victoria University had never banned women from taking courses before. By the way, the first female student was Lilias Annie Clark, who studied modern literature and education.
In 1904, the University of Leeds was granted a Royal Charter as an independent body.
The University of Leeds is the 3rd largest employer in the city and contributes around £1.23 billion to the local budget each year. It is also the 11th largest university in the country by total number of students. It should be noted that the University of Leeds receives over 67,000 undergraduate applications per year. This makes it the 5th most popular university in the UK by application volume.
What do you need to know about IT education?
The University of Leeds is a popular educational institution in the city and in the country in general. This is evidenced not only by numerous publications and ratings but also by the university’s income. In 2022-23, the University of Leeds earned £979.5 million. By the way, £184.9 million of these funds are from research grants and contracts.
The university has 498 hectares of land, while the main campus covers about 40 hectares. It is located a mile away from Leeds city centre. In total, there are seven faculties in the university. The faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences is especially popular. Students of this faculty study Chemical and Process Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computing, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy.
Many young people want to work in the IT sphere because it opens up great prospects, such as a high salary, the opportunity to work from any point of the world, constant development and work on interesting projects. However, a university education isn’t enough to become a real IT professional. Specialists recommend paying attention to
- Self-education. Each sphere of activity requires additional knowledge and effort from the employee. IT specialists are constantly developing too. Even the best teachers, practitioners or theorists can’t give you all the necessary knowledge. After all, in a year or two, their advice can be irrelevant. Therefore, students need to keep their fingers on the pulse. In order to become a truly qualified specialist, you should stay tuned to IT innovations, systematically watch video lessons and read additional literature. Many students work in parallel with their studies and this has a positive effect on their development as specialists.
- Courses. After graduating from university, you can take up additional courses. This training will strengthen your knowledge. It is very convenient that nowadays you can study in both offline and online modes.
- Internship. The IT sphere is constantly developing, so companies need new employees. That is why IT companies often hire students for internships. This is a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience and prove yourself.
